Realising the potential of the the National Tutoring Programme

As a social enterprise with almost 10 years experience delivering high-quality tuition, we at Equal Education are proud to have been selected as one of 41 Approved Tuition Partners for the next three years of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP).

We know our model of 1:1 tuition delivered by qualified teachers, who are committed to improving outcomes for some of our most disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, is one of the most effective educational interventions and has the potential to narrow the significant attainment gap that exists in our country. 

We are committed to working with the National Tutoring Programme to ensure the programme is a success and has a long-term positive impact and legacy. All NTP Tuition Partners have passed rigorous Quality Assurance, Safeguarding and Impact monitoring checks to become an accredited provider.

This is a once in a generation investment into tutoring and education recovery in response to the coronavirus pandemic and we are prepared to jointly deliver and meet the ambitious targets set out by the government. Together with other members of the Fair Education Alliance, we are working hard so that tuition is valued and part of the mainstream education landscape in the longer term — because we know it has the capacity to materially improve outcomes and transform lives. 

However, in meeting these ambitious targets, we do not want to compromise quality over quantity; our model of tuition is highly bespoke, tailored and specialised. We only work with qualified teachers and we undertake a careful allocations process to allocate the right tutor to the student’s tuition, to ensure we are meeting the needs of our young people. Our tutors work with students on a 1:1 basis, which evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows achieves the best outcomes, as has our own impact evaluation.

Ultimately, we want to see the NTP reach pupils who need it most, as the lost learning from Covid has exacerbated the attainment gap, which was already significant before the pandemic. We are working with our schools and Local Authorities to ensure those who receive tutoring are those who need it most.

As David Laws pointed out at this week’s Education Select Committee hearing, there is a local and regional approach needed and focusing solely on those who are on Free School Meals (FSM) risks overlooking the needs of individuals in the most disadvantaged areas who are not classified as disadvantaged because they are not on FSM, but who have fallen further behind as a result of the pandemic. 

Many of our current school and Local Authority partners have transitioned to using our services through the NTP Tuition Partner Route and have successfully registering on the NTP Tuition Hub. We are also excited to be working with many new schools and Local Authorities across the country, as they seek to utilise the significant government subsidy for tutoring. 

We are on hand to support our partners in the process, and the NTP also has a dedicated support team on hand to assist with familiarising with the NTP Hub, and to promptly resolve logistical issues.

Our organisation was founded to provide the highest quality education to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged students in the country, whose needs were often not met by the mainstream. The NTP provides additional resources to do this.

However, as was also mentioned in the Education Select Committee: “If we don't get this right we risk needing catch up for lost catch up.” This needs to be a success.